Where can you not fish near Islamorada?
In the four Sanctuary Preservation Areas nearby: Alligator Reef, Cheeca Rocks, Hen and Chickens and Davis Reef. NOAA says diving, snorkeling and boating are allowed in them but fishing and collecting are not. Yellow buoys mark their edges. Your captain fishes outside these zones; this page is for knowing why.
The four no-fishing zones
Fishing and collecting are not allowed in these Sanctuary Preservation Areas; diving, snorkeling and boating are. Alligator Reef’s lighthouse, first lit in 1873, stands 148 feet tall in six feet of water, according to its 2011 National Register nomination.
| Zone | Where | What NOAA says |
|---|---|---|
| Alligator Reef | 4.5 miles east of Indian Key | 0.32 square miles; 632 fish species known as of 2020; parts as shallow as 8 ft |
| Cheeca Rocks | Southeast of Upper Matecumbe Key | About 0.07 square miles, 8 to 20 ft deep |
| Hen and Chickens | Middle of Hawk Channel off Plantation Key | About 106 acres, easy access from Islamorada |
| Davis Reef | 4.5 miles southeast of Plantation Key | 88 acres |
Buoys and anchoring
- Mooring buoys are white with a blue stripe, free, and first come, first served. Anchoring on living coral is prohibited; where there is no buoy and no anchoring ban, anchor in sand away from coral.
- Yellow 30-inch buoys mark the edges of the preservation areas. Boats may not tie to them.
- From 2027, NOAA says anchoring of any kind will be prohibited in most preservation areas, Alligator Reef and Davis Reef among them; Hen and Chickens and Cheeca Rocks are exceptions.
- Speed: idle speed, no wake within 100 yards of residential shorelines, stationary vessels and reef navigation aids, outside marked channels.
Chum is still allowed
The sanctuary’s 2025 rule bans attracting or feeding fish from boats, but it says that does not include bait or chum used in normal fishing, so a reef crew can still chum for snapper. NOAA chose not to regulate shore-based fish feeding, such as the tarpon at Robbie’s.
Read for this page on 6 October 2026: NOAA FKNMS: Sanctuary Preservation Areas ; NOAA FKNMS: Alligator Reef ; NOAA FKNMS: mooring buoys ; NOAA FKNMS: regulations ; Federal Register: FKNMS final rule, 17 Jan 2025 .
Check it at the source
- Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Sanctuary zones, marked areas and restrictions that overlay the entire Keys fishery. Link checked 6 September 2026
Sanctuary rules: questions
Can you fish at Alligator Reef Lighthouse?
Not inside the Alligator Reef Sanctuary Preservation Area. NOAA says SPAs allow diving, snorkeling and boating but not fishing or collecting. Charter captains fish the reef outside its yellow boundary buoys.
Can you anchor on the reef in the Florida Keys?
Not on living coral. NOAA provides free mooring buoys, white with a blue stripe, and says to anchor in sand away from coral where there is no buoy. From 2027 anchoring will be banned in most preservation areas, including Alligator and Davis reefs.
Is chumming allowed in the Florida Keys sanctuary?
Yes, for normal fishing. The 2025 sanctuary rule bans feeding fish from boats but expressly excludes bait and chum used in traditional fishing.
Next step
Looking for fishing trips in Islamorada?
Islamorada Charters Fishing is an independent guide — no boats, no bookings, nothing to sell. It exists so you can ask better questions before you hand an operator a deposit.
Islamorada Charters Fishing takes no bookings and earns nothing from a click. You book with the operator directly.